Simonton 9800 in Northern Virginia?

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oppie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2006 3:34 pm

Simonton 9800 in Northern Virginia?

#1 Post by oppie »

Based on local referrals and this site, I'm looking at schuco corona 4000, softlite imperial (I know - this site isn't wild about them, but I have neighbors who love them and the local installer), and I would like to find simonton 9800. My job is approx 25 DHs, some of which are pretty large, and some pictures, one of which is 100" wide.

2 questions:
First, the closest dealer that comes up on the Simonton site zip code search for the Impressions series (9400/9800) is Uneeda in NJ - over 200 miles away! Can it be that there are no Simonton 9800s in Northern Virginia? Anyone know any different about this, as I'd love to see these windows. I can find the Reflections or Prisms, but think I'm just as well or better off with the Softlites as those for the $.

Second, there are now 2 dealers for Schuco in Northern Va -- the NuView folks who have had exclusive rights for a while, and now another local company who has carried them for a few months and has installed them once -- last week. My question: I've heard not-so-great feedback on people's experience with NuView on this site and others. Just how different are these windows to install? The new dealer for them says a window is a window, and a good installer (which he asserts he is) can install any window well. Is there a learning curve for these? I'm not anxious to jump on with NuView. The schucos are indeed lovely, but not if they are poorly installed.

Thanks -- would appreciate any feedback on my choices or these 2 questions!

WindDoze
Posts: 96
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:20 am
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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#2 Post by WindDoze »

Bill from Uneeda is a frequent poster on this site and is an excellent source for Simonton. I won't speak for whether he'll go 200 miles to do a job -- but I doubt it. There is a Simonton dealer in Va Beach called Assurance Ltd -- he might be able to help you out.

As for NuView -- a lot of the problems that have been documented on this site have more to do with delays from Schuco. NuView sold a lot of Schuco's new european windows, before Schuco had all the production kinks worked out -- so their customers suffered extended delays in getting their windows. If you stay with the established Schuco line you should be ok. I know from experiance that my lead times have come down considerably over the last couple months.

If you decide to go with Schuco I'd go with the established dealer over some little guy whose installed them once. They are a trickier install, especially if you are looking at the in line slider, and I'd want someone with experiance.

oppie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2006 3:34 pm

Schuco picture windows

#3 Post by oppie »

Just talked with the NuView folks to schedule a visit. Really liking these windows (and the rough quote he gave me based on measurements was less than some guy quoted me for alside excaliburs a few weeks ago!)

The only thing is this -- They only make picture windows 84" wide max. I have a picture that is 100 x 45, and really hate to darken part of it with screens by doing a slider or casements. Any ideas? Is getting a picture window that big, assuming someone makes one, just a bad idea in general?

thanks

ode
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:34 pm

#4 Post by ode »

Oppie,
How did your two Schuco quotes compare? Was there a large difference?

Ode

oppie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2006 3:34 pm

#5 Post by oppie »

The two quotes were very close, not quite apples to apples as we made some DH/casement switches based on the conversation with the NuView person who came. If we go with Schuco, we'll go with the established dealer - - I do think they gave us an excellent price. I am a little nervous about installation quality based on the threads here and some references I've heard. Also, the references they gave us in our neighborhood look awful -- not the window per se, but the windows just don't seem to match the houses somehow. They look incredibly bulky. Trying not to let that influence me too much, as I'd think they'd look better with our larger windows.

We're still considering the softlite imperials with superspacer, too. Not as good quality, I know, but still good value for the $. And I really like the installer. So we'll see -- hope to make this call by the end of the week.

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